The City of Spokane's Community Development Citizen Participation Plan
is designed to create opportunities for citizens to be involved in the
development of the City’s annual Action Plan Component of the Consolidated
Community Development and Housing Plan and the implementation or amendments
thereof. This Citizen Participation Plan addresses the 2003 Action Plan
Component of the 1999 Consolidated Community Development and Housing Plan.
Having an approved Citizen Participation Plan in place is a requirement
of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act and Section 508
of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, for direct
recipients of HUD Programs.

The City of Spokane intends that its Community Development Program
has the support of the largest possible number of people in the community.
Emphasis is placed on opportunities for participation by low/moderate income
persons and the organizations and agencies that serve low/moderate income
persons through the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds,
HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds and Emergency Shelter
Grant Program (ESGP) funds.

The City of Spokane is the recipient of Community Development
Block Grant funds, HOME Investment Partnership Program funds, Emergency
Shelter Grant Program funds, Section 108 Loan funds and other grants.
In 1995, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) combined
the CDBG, HOME and ESGP application cycles, creating the Consolidated Plan
process. Now this single process is used to evaluate needs, set priorities
and allocate funds to implement projects using CDBG, HOME and ESGP funds.
It will also identify fair housing actions to be taken. This process is
more efficient while allowing for a more comprehensive approach to the
evaluation of needs, the establishment of priorities and the allocation
of funds.

BACKGROUND

Spokane's Community Development Program began in the first months of
1975. Since then, approximately $112 million in CDBG funds have been
allocated to projects and programs in Spokane's low and moderate-income
neighborhoods. There are now 13 Community Development neighborhoods
covering roughly half of the geographic area of the City.

Spokane began receiving HOME funds in 1992 and ESGP funds in 1987.
Since then $15,741,000 in HOME funds and $1,617,000 in ESGP funds have
been received to benefit Spokane’s low and moderate-income residents.

Recognizing the importance of citizen involvement, the City established
Community Development neighborhoods with steering committees to assist
in allocating CDBG funds and implementing projects. The following list
gives the current Community Development neighborhoods with the year they
joined the program:

To qualify as a Community Development neighborhood, at least 51%
of the residents in the area must have low/moderate incomes. Data from
the U.S. Census, which is conducted every ten years, is used to determine
low/moderate income areas and the program eligibility of each Community
Development neighborhood.

The Community Development Board was established in 1986 to provide
oversight and guidance to the Community Development Department and the
Community Development Neighborhood Steering Committees. The Board,
appointed by the Spokane City Council, consists of ten members who are
residents of the Community Development neighborhoods and/or the city-at-large.
Board members serve a maximum of six years.

The Community Development Board appoints the Housing Advisory
Working Group (HAWG) to assist in allocating HOME funds. This group
consists of one or more Community Development Board members, a neighborhood
representative, a local lender representative and representatives of local
low income housing practitioners.

The Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) is an eleven-member board
appointed by the City Council to provide guidance and oversight to the
Human Services Department. The HSAB recommends Emergency Shelter Grant
Program fund allocations to the Community Development Board.

OTHER PROGRAMS

Spokane has other opportunities to obtain loans and grants from time
to time. The City is an entitlement jurisdiction under HUD’s Supportive
Housing Program for homeless and transitional housing. The City may also
apply for Economic Development Initiative (EDI) grants for economic development
projects and other CDBG eligible activities. Additionally, the City
may be eligible for HUD 108 Loan funds when the current 108 Loan principal
has been retired.

PARTICIPANTS IN THE COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN

The development of the Consolidated Plan and its annual Action Plan
components is a collaborative effort of many individuals, organizations
and agencies. Requests and recommendations are made or can be made to the
neighborhood steering committees or the Community Development Board. The
Community Development Department will provide staff support to develop
the 2003 Action Plan.

Individual Citizens - The participation of individual citizens is the
foundation of the Community Development Program in the City of Spokane.
Reasonable efforts will be made to make all citizens aware of the Program-related
meetings and events in their neighborhoods, as well as, public hearings
and citywide events that concern the development of the 2003 Action Plan.
It is our goal to create ample participation opportunities for all interested
citizens; including, but not limited to, minorities, non-English speaking
persons, and persons with visual, mobility or hearing impairments.

Community Development Neighborhood Steering Commit-tees - Each
neighborhood recognized by Community Development Department has a neighborhood
Steering Committee, chaired by a citizen elected by the Committee. A Steering
Committee’s recommendation for the expenditure of CDBG funds to the Community
Development Board is the result of efforts to inform neighborhood residents,
to solicit their input and to reach decisions that will provide benefits
to the neighborhood. The Steering Committees also serve in an advisory
capacity for implementation of the projects in their area.

Organizations, Agencies and Public Housing Authority - The Spokane Housing
Authority, as well as other organizations and agencies involved in the
development and implementation of projects to assist low-income citizens,
will be contacted to advise them of the Action Plan process. These organizations
and their clients will be encouraged to participate in the development
of the Action Plan.

Community Development Board - The Community Development Board
is the citizen body that coordinates the development of the Consolidated
Plan and the annual Action Plan. The Board membership is made up of residents
of Community Development neighborhoods and/or the city-at-large.
Several have been active in the Community Development Program, at the neighborhood
level, for some time. The Community Development Board will make recommendations
to the City Council on the contents of the Action Plan and the projects
therein. The Board works with the neighborhood and other organizations,
considers their recommendations, prepares the draft Action Plan and, after
a public hearing to allow open discussion of the proposed plan, forwards
it to City Council for final review and adoption.

City Council - The City Council is the final citizen policy body
that reviews and takes action on the Action Plan. After receiving
the Plan from the Community Development Board, City Council considers and
then votes on the proposed plan. After approval, the Action Plan is forwarded
to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

PROMOTION - PUBLICITY - COMMUNICATION

The development of the Action Plan takes place over many months, with
citizen participation encouraged in all stages by a comprehensive communication/publicity
effort. The communication efforts, scheduled to support the program, include
but are not limited to the following elements:

Neighborhood-Based Communication - One of the most important communication
elements is neighborhood-based. Each Community Development Neighborhood
is asked to design its own communication and promotion strategy, which
may include the following activities:

· Using neighborhood-wide
bulk mailings to notify residents about Community Development meetings
and events.

· Keeping an up-to-date
neighborhood mailing list for use in distribution of flyers, meeting announcements,
etc.

· Encouraging neighborhood
groups, churches, schools, etc. to assist in informing their
members about the Community Development process.

· Planning special
activities and events to attract broader participation in the Community
Development process.

· Contributing articles
and notices about the Community Development process to community newspapers.

Organizations, Agencies, Spokane Housing Authority Communication
- The Spokane Housing Authority, as well as other organizations and agencies
representing and serving low-income citizens, will be contacted for information
on the needs and priorities of their client groups and for suggestions
of projects to be funded under the Action Plan.

Non-profit organizations and agencies are encouraged to submit
Public Service Applications to request CDBG funds for their programs.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) will be published in a newspaper of general
circulation in August, prior to the year funding will be used. Applications
are also mailed directly to agencies and organizations that received funding
the previous year. Other applications are mailed upon request.

The neighborhood Steering Committees review the proposed public service
applications for their neighborhood and include selected applications in
their tentative fall allocation recommendation to the Community Development
Board. The HSAB receives public service applications for citywide
CDBG funds. The HSAB reviews those applications and makes recommendations
to the Community Development Board for funding.

Tentative allocations for HOME funds are made by the Housing Advisory
Working Group and submitted to the Community Development Board for inclusion
in the Action Plan. The Human Services Advisory Board makes tentative
allocations of ESGP funds. These recommendations are passed on to
the Community Development Board to be included in the Action Plan.

Citywide Media-based Communication – The use of media and other publicity
efforts are planned to include newspaper notices of public hearing dates,
times and locations. A large newspaper notice will give the amount of funds
the City of Spokane expects to receive and the range of activities that
will be undertaken with these funds. This notice will give the estimated
percentage of proposed 2003 CDBG, HOME and ESGP funds that will be used
for activities that benefit low and moderate-income. This notice will also
state whether any displacement is anticipated as a result of the proposed
2002 CDBG, HOME and ESGP activities, stating that if displacement should
occur, assistance will be made available in accordance with the City of
Spokane’s Community Development Displacement Plan.

Availability of the Proposed Draft Action Plan – In a newspaper
of general circulation, the Community Development Department will publish
a summary of the proposed Action Plan for public comment. The notice will
give all pertinent information as to where the Plan is available for public
examination, including address and hours of availability.

Review of the Draft Action Plan - The Citizen Participation Plan
provides for a 30-day public review of the draft Action Plan prior to submission
to the City Council for final consideration and adoption. The beginning
and ending dates for the 30-day pubic comment period will be published
in the large newspaper notice described above under “Citywide Media-based
Communication.”

Availability of the 2003 Action Plan - The Community Development
Department will provide copies of the 2003 Action Plan to neighborhood
Steering Committees and other interested citizens and organizations, upon
request.

STAFF SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Staff support is an important element of the Citizen Participation Plan.
To guarantee citizen participation in development of the Action Plan, the
Community Development Department will make every reasonable effort to respond
to requests from citizen organizations needing technical assistance to
develop proposals. In addition to Community Development staff working
directly with Steering Committee members, each Steering Committee will
designate a neighborhood coordinator to convey Community Development information,
set up meetings, make phone calls, facilitate communication concerning
project implementation, etc.

ACCESS TO RECORDS

The Community Development Department will provide citizens, public agencies
and other interested parties reasonable and timely access to information
and records relating to the City of Spokane's Action Plan Component of
the Consolidated Community Development and Housing Plan and the City's
use of assistance under the programs covered by the Consolidated Plan and
Action Plans during the preceding years. The City may from time to time
enter into public/private partnerships utilizing federal programs, i.e.,
loans and grants that require the submission of proprietary business information
to document the financial conditions of the proposed loan or grant. Such
proprietary business information may be exempted from disclosure under
certain conditions.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

As integral elements of the Community Development Program, citizens
and organizations will be involved in decisions regarding program implementation.
Often they will work directly with the City department that has been assigned
to execute the approved project within the Action Plan. The Community Development
Board is the citizen body having overall responsibility for implementation
of the Community Development Program.

Each Community Development Neighborhood Steering Committee acts
in an advisory role in the implementation of projects. Their advisory
role consists of, but is not limited to, any or all to the following items:

· Making recommendations in the implementation
of neighborhood projects.

· Serving on a neighborhood task force,
policy committee or advisory committee for a specific project, e.g., a
community center.

· Providing ongoing recommendations on
projects within their respective neighborhood.

Additionally, organizations funded with Action Plan allocations
are involved in the implementation of their projects.

ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE

Citizens and citizen organizations have the following opportunities
to submit comments on all aspects of the City of Spokane's Community Development
performance:

· Community Development Board public
hearings on the draft Action Plan.

· Correspondence to the Community Development
Board.

· Correspondence or verbal comment to
the Community Development Department during the allocation process, implementation
phase and/or after completion of the projects.

· Neighborhood meetings (previously described).

CRITERIA FOR AMENDMENT TO THE ACTION PLAN

An amendment to the approved Action Plan will occur when the City of
Spokane decides not to carry out a project (activity) described in the
Plan, to carry out a project not previously described or to substantially
change the purpose, scope, location or beneficiaries of a project.
Change will be considered substantial when the purpose of the original
project has been changed to a new significant project scope, when the location
of the original project has been significantly changed to a new location
or when the beneficiaries of the original project have been replaced by
new project beneficiaries.

CITIZEN SUBMISSION OF COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Citizens have several ways of submitting their comments and proposals
to the applicant, the City of Spokane, regarding the Action Plan.
Prior to and during the planning period, citizens are encouraged to become
involved in the process through citywide news announcements, newspaper
ads and neighborhood-based communications to express their views and proposals
in the preparation of the Action Plan. The citywide and neighborhood-based
communications list public hearings and neighborhood meetings where citizens,
individually and as recognized neighborhoods, may be involved in the process
and express themselves.

The City of Spokane Community Development Department will provide
timely response to all proposals submitted by citizens, using written responses
to state the reasons for the action taken on the proposal. The Community
Development Department will respond to action taken on a proposal within
15 working days of the action, whenever possible. Whenever possible, responses
will be provided prior to the final hearing on the application.

PUBLIC HEARING

The development of the Action Plan will include the provision for two
public hearings—one to be held during the Community Development and Housing
Needs information gathering period (November) and a second public hearing
during the 30-day public review comment period on the draft Action Plan
(March).

NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING; DEAF AND HEARING IMPAIRED; VISUALLY IMPAIRED

The Action Plan process intends, to the maximum extent feasible, to
accommodate the needs of non-English speaking residents, deaf and hearing-impaired
residents and visually impaired residents. In all newspaper advertisements
for public hearings and in mailings for public hearings, language will
be included expressing the Community Development Department's desire to
accommodate the above specified needs, along with the Community Development
Department phone number (625-6325) and TDD number (625-6694) so arrangements
can be made for the services of an interpreter, signer or reader. All accommodation
requests should be made 72 hours prior to the advertised public hearing,
however, if a request is made within 72 hours, every reasonable effort
will be made to provide an interpreter, signer or reader.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE

The Spokane City Council Chamber is wheelchair accessible and is equipped
with an infrared assistive listening system for persons with hearing loss.
Headsets may be checked out (upon presentation of picture I.D.) at the
City Cable 5 Booth located on the first floor of the Municipal Building,
directly above the Council Chamber. For additional accommodation,
available upon request, please call 625-6325 at least 72 hours before needed.

COMPLAINTS

Complaints regarding the Community Development Program will be answered
by the Community Development Department staff in a timely and responsive
manner. The staff will make every reasonable effort to provide written
responses within 15 working days.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SCHEDULE

Following is the schedule for the Program Year 2003 Citizen Participation
Plan:

June/July 2002 - Prepare draft Citizen Participation Plan by the Community
Development Board and make available for public comment.

August 2002 - Public service applications mailed. Community Development
Board reviews public comments on the draft Citizen Participation Plan.
The Board then votes to adopt the Citizen Participation Plan.

September 2002 - Public service applications due.

October 2002 - Tentative allocations for neighborhoods, public
services and community centers. Neighborhood Fall Allocation meetings.

November 2002 - Public hearing November 7 on tentative allocations,
needs assessments, etc. including housing. Community Development Neighborhood
Fall Allocation meetings.

December 2002 - Community Development Neighborhood Reports due.
Community Development Board begins reviewing applications for CDBG funding.

January 2003 - Neighborhood Reports presented to the Community
Development Board on January 9 and 23.

February 2003 - Community Development Board meets to finalize
allocations and draft Action Plan prior the public hearing and 30-day public
review to begin February 24.

March 2003 - Public hearing on draft Action Plan, tentatively
scheduled for March 6. March 26 will be the end of the 30-day public review
period.

April 2003 – CD Board reviews public comments. Action Plan
presented to City Council on April 28.

May 2003 - Target date for submission of Action Plan to HUD is
May 9.

July 1, 2003 - Begin Program Year.

2003 Citizen Participation Plan was adopted by the Community Development
Board on September 12, 2002.